Former National Book Council chairman Mark Camilleri has launched a scathing attack against Prime Minister Robert Abela, lambasting him as the most “hollow and incompetent” leader that the country has ever had.

In a post on his Facebook profile Camilleri, who did not have his government contract renewed and is writing a book where he claims to detail new things about government corruption, blasted Abela, saying that he was someone who was only there to provide continuity to what Joseph Muscat had left.

Camilleri said that because he was a government executive, he could never say what he thought about this government and about Prime Minister Robert Abela.

He said that he had always shown Abela respect, even though he had given him “the silent treatment.”

Camilleri said that contrary to what many thought, he had never spoken against the government while he remained an executive of the government, and that he had never taken it against the Prime Minister. 

He said that he was always professional, even if he used to criticise politicians.

However, he said, today he is free to tell people what he thinks about “our prince” Robert Abela.

“I don’t think that in the history of our country we ever had a Prime Minister who is more hollow and incompetent than we have today”, Camilleri wrote – sparing few punches.

He said that Abela had never been a volunteer or activist within the party, and had never worked an hour in his life. 

“He became party leader because Joseph Muscat put him there and without his support we would have beaten him by a landslide in the election for the new leader,” he continued.

Camilleri alleged that Abela wants a yacht marina in Marsascala for his own comfort and so he could dock his boat behind his door and that this was a clear tell of a “selfish man who thinks only of himself and is not interested in you.”

The former Book Council Chief went on by saying that he wants to see a Labour Party which is free from the former friends and allies of Joseph Muscat, including Robert Abela and Energy Minister Miriam Dalli, who he said were crucial to lead the politics of continuity of Joseph Muscat.

He said that these people’s theatrics had seen them try to change the narrative from one of continuity to one where this is now a new state – a reference to an interview with PL President Ramona Attard gave to The Malta Independent on Sunday, where she insisted that today’s state is different to the state referred to in the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry.

But in truth, continuity has remained as the Electrogas project is still not investigated, and that government has done nothing on the public inquiry’s recommendations.

He said that as a member of the Labour Party he wants to see the “rent seekers” removed from the party.

“I’m optimistic in the long run, but I think that things can become worse before they become better.  For now, I will support progressive candidates from third parties,” he said.